1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a lift device for a load transporter and more particularly to an improvement in a lift mechanism of a fork-lift which is actuated by a plurality of hydraulic cylinders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been generally used a fork-lift vehicle as a load transporter capable of lifting loads. In the typical prior art lift device of the fork-lift vehicle, a pair of hydraulic cylinders drives a pair of inner masts to slide along a pair of outer masts so that a load carrier can be lifted. However, when a load is transported under conditions in which height clearance is limited, such as in a factory, a storage building, or and a container, it is sometimes necessary to lift the load without raising the masts. That is, if the maximum height to which the load carrier can be lifted without raising the masts (herein after, referred to as "free-lift height") is low, the load can not be transported by the fork-lift vehicle. Accordingly, in order to increase the free-lift height, the inner masts can be arranged to be lower than the outer masts. But, such an arrangement decreases the minimum road clearance between the bottom end of the inner masts and the road so that the fork-lift vehicle so arranged is not suitable for practical use.